Justice | Page 8

this?
FALDER. Yes, I think so, sir.
JAMES. You know that Mr. Walter drew that cheque for nine pounds?

FALDER. No, sir--ninety.
JAMES. Nine, Falder.
FALDER. [Faintly] I don't understand, sir.
JAMES. The suggestion, of course, is that the cheque was altered;
whether by you or Davis is the question.
FALDER. I--I
COKESON. Take your time, take your time.
FALDER. [Regaining his impassivity] Not by me, sir.
JAMES. The cheque was handed to--Cokeson by Mr. Walter at one
o'clock; we know that because Mr. Cokeson's lunch had just arrived.
COKESON. I couldn't leave it.
JAMES. Exactly; he therefore gave the cheque to Davis. It was cashed
by you at 1.15. We know that because the cashier recollects it for the
last cheque he handled before his lunch.
FALDER. Yes, sir, Davis gave it to me because some friends were
giving him a farewell luncheon.
JAMES. [Puzzled] You accuse Davis, then?
FALDER. I don't know, sir--it's very funny.
WALTER, who has come close to his father, says something to him in
a low voice.
JAMES. Davis was not here again after that Saturday, was he?
COKESON. [Anxious to be of assistance to the young man, and seeing
faint signs of their all being jolly once more] No, he sailed on the
Monday.

JAMES. Was he, Falder?
FALDER. [Very faintly] No, sir.
JAMES. Very well, then, how do you account for the fact that this
nought was added to the nine in the counterfoil on or after Tuesday?
COKESON. [Surprised] How's that?
FALDER gives a sort of lurch; he tries to pull himself together, but he
has gone all to pieces.
JAMES. [Very grimly] Out, I'm afraid, Cokeson. The cheque-book
remained in Mr. Walter's pocket till he came back from Trenton on
Tuesday morning. In the face of this, Falder, do you still deny that you
altered both cheque and counterfoil?
FALDER. No, sir--no, Mr. How. I did it, sir; I did it.
COKESON. [Succumbing to his feelings] Dear, dear! what a thing to
do!
FALDER. I wanted the money so badly, sir. I didn't know what I was
doing.
COKESON. However such a thing could have come into your head!
FALDER. [Grasping at the words] I can't think, sir, really! It was just a
minute of madness.
JAMES. A long minute, Falder. [Tapping the counterfoil] Four days at
least.
FALDER. Sir, I swear I didn't know what I'd done till afterwards, and
then I hadn't the pluck. Oh! Sir, look over it! I'll pay the money back--I
will, I promise.
JAMES. Go into your room.

FALDER, with a swift imploring look, goes back into his room. There
is silence.
JAMES. About as bad a case as there could be.
COKESON. To break the law like that-in here!
WALTER. What's to be done?
JAMES. Nothing for it. Prosecute.
WALTER. It's his first offence.
JAMES. [Shaking his head] I've grave doubts of that. Too neat a piece
of swindling altogether.
COKESON. I shouldn't be surprised if he was tempted.
JAMES. Life's one long temptation, Cokeson.
COKESON. Ye-es, but I'm speaking of the flesh and the devil, Mr.
James. There was a woman come to see him this morning.
WALTER. The woman we passed as we came in just now. Is it his
wife?
COKESON. No, no relation. [Restraining what in jollier circumstances
would have been a wink] A married person, though.
WALTER. How do you know?
COKESON. Brought her children. [Scandalised] There they were
outside the office.
JAMES. A real bad egg.
WALTER. I should like to give him a chance.
JAMES. I can't forgive him for the sneaky way be went to work--

counting on our suspecting young Davis if the matter came to light. It
was the merest accident the cheque-book stayed in your pocket.
WALTER. It must have been the temptation of a moment. He hadn't
time.
JAMES. A man doesn't succumb like that in a moment, if he's a clean
mind and habits. He's rotten; got the eyes of a man who can't keep his
hands off when there's money about.
WALTER. [Dryly] We hadn't noticed that before.
JAMES. [Brushing the remark aside] I've seen lots of those fellows in
my time. No doing anything with them except to keep 'em out of harm's
way. They've got a blind spat.
WALTER. It's penal servitude.
COKESON. They're nahsty places-prisons.
JAMES. [Hesitating] I don't see how it's possible to spare him. Out of
the question to keep him in this office--honesty's the 'sine qua non'.
COKESON. [Hypnotised] Of course it is.
JAMES. Equally out of the question to send him out amongst people
who've no knowledge of his character. One must think of society.
WALTER. But to brand him like this?
JAMES. If it had been a straightforward case I'd give him another
chance. It's far from that. He has dissolute habits.
COKESON. I didn't